We called him Tiger. His shiny, lovely coat glistened in the light as he strutted past the kitchen window. I crawled alongside him on my hands and knees as I pretended we were "brothers." We played and frolicked throughout the house for hours at a time, and once we were "all tuckered out," we would curl up on the couch and watch TV together. I loved to listen to him purr as a scratched him beneath his chin. While I did this he would just close his eyes and "smile" in enjoyment. I loved him and he loved me.

One of the first pets I ever had, as a child, was a wonderful Tabby cat named Tiger. We were always together. We played and we slept; we played and we slept. I just knew we'd be together for forever. However, time goes by quickly— far too quickly.

I grew up and he grew old. His once healthy coat had lost its shine; the fur that surrounded his mouth was no longer rich in color, but as white as snow. But despite these few physical changes, Tiger was still the same loyal and loving cat he had always been.

My childhood companion still followed me everywhere. The two of us were inseparable. Whether I decided to sit on the couch and watch countless episodes of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or lay back in my chair to play video games, he was always there. If my bedroom door was closed, he would stand his ground and "meow" at me until I came to let him in (as I began to play games online, he found it easier to tug on my ethernet cable). Each night he snuggled next to me as we fell asleep ready to start a new day, and each morning he was still by my side.

Inseparable

Tiger interacted with other members of the family as well. Each and every morning at 5:30 he would stroll into my parents bathroom, and perch himself atop the counter, as my dad shaved and readied himself for work. After he finished brushing his teeth and shaving, my dad would leave the water running so Tiger could take a few sips. It was their own unique routine.

Many times, often inconvenient, Tiger would also lay on the chest of whoever was sitting in the recliner as if he wanted to feel their breath. It was like his way of saying, "This is the part where you pet me."

As time went on, Tiger's age began to catch up with him. His appetite vanished, his eyesight began to wither away, and as we would later come to realize, so did he. One day I noticed his left eye seemed to have a cloudy appearance to it and this worried me. I had no idea why this was happening or what it meant for him.

After I noticed the abnormal appearance of his eye, we took him to the vet to have some tests done. All of the tests indicated he was a perfectly healthy cat, for his age. All of his blood-work was well within the "normal" ranges and the veterinarian told us he was just old. But it would only get worse from there.

Always within reach

As time went on, Tiger's eyesight became less and less of what it used to be, and his eyes became more and more cloudy as each day passed. Realizing that he was reaching his last few years was very hard to accept.

Making this time even more difficult, for me at least, was the fact that this was happening while I was away at college. Fortunately, I was able to spend some good, quality time with him over Spring Break 2 weeks ago. Aside from having lost his vision, nothing had really changed, but it was very hard to watch him try to navigate through the house. It broke my heart to see him bump into something and freeze up in fright. Often times, he seemed as if he was afraid to move.

I am very thankful for that time together, however, as he would begin to die the following week. My dad called and said he thought Tiger should be euthanized to prevent him from any suffering. He told me Tiger had began to cry, as if in pain, frequently and it was very hard for them to watch. Getting lost in the house, he would also pee on the hardwood floors— which led to staining and odor. He wasn't doing very well.

It broke my heart to see him like this

Knowing I wanted to be there, my dad would try to prolong it as long as he could without causing Tiger unnecessary pain. This was a weight lifted from my shoulders as my schedule was packed with school and Army events and hearing this was too much. I went on about my weekend feeling a little better about Tiger, but this feeling did not last long. I received a text from my dad Saturday night. He wanted me to call him.

After I spoke with him, I broke out into tears all over again. He did not think Tiger would make it through the morning. I was overwhelmed with anger, sadness and guilt. Feelings of tremendous guilt came over me for not being there while he was going through this.

The next day, my mom informed me that he died in her arms around 6:30 that morning. He was gone and he wasn't coming back. The hardest part of all of this was knowing I would never get to hold him again, I would never get the chance to hear him purr again, and I would never get to tell him one last time how much I loved him. This wasn't how I had imagined Easter '13 to go.

I only wish I could have been there for him. There's no way I could have known this would happen, but I just hope he knew how much he meant to me. He was the greatest pet anyone could ever ask for.

Tiger was more than just a pet though. He was my "constant." No matter where I was in my life, his loyalty was unwavering. He was always there to start my morning, to greet me after school, and to say goodnight before bed. He was a reminder that no matter how bad things may seem, there is always something, or someone, to look forward to.

16 & 1/2 years was a good run, but it still feels too short. I love you, buddy. You will never be replaced, nor will you be forgotten.

Sliding across the ground, I empty round after round into the Argus Mech's weak areas. As I bring him to his knees I fire my shoulder mounted laser directly into his core causing him to explode into several pieces of hulking debris. I get to my feet, light a cigarette, and proceed onwards alongside the USMC. With that being said, let me just get this out of the way, this game is an absolute blast to play through and it's a shame that most people have probably never played before.

Vanquish is a third-person shooter brought to you by Platinum Games, the same developers that gave you Bayonetta. Not having much experience with Japanese games, I was a little unsure of what I was getting myself into as I've often found the plots in Japanese games to be a tad... well, for lack of a better term, cheesy. Thankfully Vanquish changes this. Following similar titles of this generation, Vanquish pits the US against Russian extremists.

The story is set in the near future where the earth's resources are running dry and the world's superpowers are competing for what's left. In these dire times, the US has constructed a solar-harnessing space station in an attempt to conserve resources. Unfortunately this beacon of hope is converted to a solar-powered weapon of destruction— scratch that— MASS destruction by the Russians. And by mass destruction, I mean the completely destroy San Fransisco kind of mass destruction. That's right! The Russians use the station's solar energy to wipe out IGN San Francisco! The US follows to respond by doing what we always do in Sci-Fi games, sending in the space marines! Who would've thought that after all the Modern Warfare and Black Ops between our countries, that we'd still be waging war in the era of augmented reaction suits and chain-gun wielding colonels?

Race you there!

You take on the role of Sam Gideon, a DARPA operative testing out the new ARS— or augmented reality suit— while fighting a wide variety of Russian robots. And while you probably will not be drawn in by Vanquish's plot, the gameplay is where Vanquish sets itself apart from other shooters. Wearing the ARS, Sam is transformed from your standard action-hero into a jet-propelled, weapon wielding acrobat (not the circus kind). Being a third person shooter, you can expect to be able take cover behind walls and debris, but you can also expect to not want to. At any time, Sam can drop to his knees and "jet slide" across the ground at rapid speeds while still firing back at enemies. Who wants to take cover when you can slide under the enemies' gunfire? But as gamers, we deserve that extra touch; that extra "something" that allows us to feel like a virtual badass (because jet sliding isn't enough right?).

While rocketing across the ground towards an unfortunate group of enemies, Sam can enter bullet-time to give you enough reaction time to pick your shots and dismantle your robotic, Russian foes. Despite bullet time being used in several, and I mean several, other games this generation, it just feels so right in Vanquish. The control scheme is designed in such a way that while your friends' jaws are sitting on the floor as you move and shoot like a Master Chief- Jason Statham hybrid, you're not even breaking a sweat (or catching a hand cramp for that matter).

Platinum Games also does an excellent job of keeping the combat fresh by offering a wide variety of enemy types. They range from your standard cannon-fodder "grunts," to hulking robots straight out of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Being a Japanese game, you can expect frequent "boss fights." They tend to be quite refreshing and are good for the pacing, which happens to be full throttle most of the time. But be warned, some of these bosses are a real doozy.

Woah there, Big Fella

With so many different types of enemies to fight, a varied set of weaponry is practically a must. But don't fret! Vanquish has you covered. While you'll most likely stick to wielding the highly effective, conventional assault rifle for the majority of the time, Platinum Game's has provided players with an amusing set of weapons. Throughout the game you'll utilize weapons among the likes of: armor piercing pistols, rocket launchers, and homing lasers. Thankfully, weapon pickups and ammo are scattered throughout so experimentation is welcomed.

While there is no multiplayer component and the game may seem a tad short (I clocked in at 5:55 at my end-game briefing on Hard), it does offer some replay value. Once you've beaten the game, you will unlock an extremely challenging "God Hard Mode" to try if you dare. There is more to do than just play the game again on a harder difficulty. During gameplay you will see that each kill nets you points, which varies based on the enemy type. Upon completing a chapter, which the game refers to as missions, you be given a "briefing" which shows you a detailed glimpse of your performance. The information given includes: rounds fired, enemies killed, total score, the percentage of time you spent in cover, and a lot more.

Now while it is not my cup of tea, I understand that there are some who are drawn to getting a high-score and enjoy competing with others to be the best. So there's that. And to any concerned about the length of the game, don't be. While it's not particularly long, it's a blast to play from start to finish. The plot isn't drawn out, and to be honest it's almost nonexistent, and the gameplay is always moving at 100mph. It lasts just long enough to enjoy without the gameplay becoming repetitive; and that's what's really important.

All in all, I really enjoyed Vanquish. Despite lacking a gripping narrative, Platinum Games offers players a fun and exciting shooter that is sure to make you turn and shout, "DID YOU SEE THAT?!" to your friend a time or two. I highly recommend that any shooter fan pick this game up and play it through. I wasn't expecting much out it when I got it on PS+, but I am so glad that I gave it try. It truly is a very well done and very underrated game.

Hey, all! While I am not new to IGN, I am new to the community (if that makes any sense). After reading comment thread after comment thread, I decided that I would like to become more involved with the community that has a mutual passion for video games. I hope to become consistent with my posts, and use this as an opportunity to grow as a writer.

While it's not currently in my career plans— I'm currently enlisted in the Army National Guard and will commission into the Army as an Army Officer when I graduate college— I would absolutely LOVE to work in the video games industry one day. When it comes to doing something for the rest of my life, I can't think of anything that I'm passionate enough about except video games. As I implied previously, however, I have not exactly set myself up for a career in video game journalism.

I'm currently majoring in nursing, with the intentions of becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist. At the tender age of 18 I am also very likely to change my mind a time or two... three or maybe four times before I have everything figured out! The wonderful thing about game journalism? I can start writing now while I'm still in college! While I won't be getting paid for any of my personal reviews or ramblings, I'm still given the opportunity to express my thoughts on the industry with a community of individuals who enjoy games as much as I do.

Who knows, maybe these little blog posts will transform from a convenient past-time into an exciting career. But until then, I should probably start working on my ginormous backlog!